Combined washer and extractor



in v e rzCo M June 26, 1928.

A. R. CURTIS COMBINED WASHER AND EXTRACTOR Filed April 25, 1923 Patented June 26, 1928.

UNITED STATES ARTHUR R. CURTIS, 'OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

COMBINED WASHER AND EXTRACTOR Application filed April 23, 1923. Serial No. 633,971.

This invention relates to a combined washer and extractor for washing and dry;

in'g clothes, fabrics and the like and is particularly adapted for household use, the present invention being an lmprovement over the machine disclosed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 262,963, filed Nov.

It is the object of the invention to provide a machine embodying compactness and simplicity in construction and in the arrangement and number of parts, partlcularly with respect to the driving mechanism for the washer and extractor.

A further object is to provide a machine in which the various parts,are so arranged that it is easy to assemble or disassemble the various parts and in which the driving mechanism for both the washer and the extractor is readily accessible for inspection or repair;

The above and other objects are obtained by they present invention which may be briefly summarized as consisting in certain novel details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts which will be described in the specification and set forth in the appended claims.

Reference should be had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification in which Fig. 1 'is'a side elevation of a machine; Fig. 2 isa top plan viewthereof. I I

Referring to the accompanying drawing, it will be seen that the machine is supported u on an angle iron frame work consisting o the corner posts 1, top rails 2, bottom rails 3' and intermediate posts 4 connecting the top and bottom rails 2 and 3. The tub 5 is supported. from the top rails of the frame work between the posts 1 at one end of the machine and the intermediate posts 4 and has a horizontally disposed cylinder 6 rotatably mounted therein. At the end of the frame opposite the tub 5 is an ex tractor curb 7 which is held in place by means of a clamping ring 8 which is connected at diametrically opposite points to the top rails 2. The curb? has a fixed top portion 9 which isinclined upwardly toward the center of the curb and is provided with a central opening WlllCll is closed by means of a hinged lid 10. A decking 11 extends from the fixed top portion 9 of the curb to the adjacent end of thetub 5 and is inclined slightly toward the tub so that water which.

drips from the clothes as they are being transferred from the cylinder 6 to the extractor will drain back into the tub. A rotary extractor basket 12 is secured to the upper end of a vertical shaft 13 within the curb 7, the basket 12 being provided with a perforated wall through which the water is thrown bycentrifugal force into the curb 7. The shaft 13 is supported in suitable bearings in the base of the frame and is provided with a pulley 14: at its lower end. by means of which it may be driven. Suita l y secured to the frame work at the end of the tub toward the extractor is a gear housing-15 which contains a suitable reversing gear through which the cylinder 6 may be driven alternately in opposite'directions.

The reversing gear is not shown herein but forms the subject matter of my Patent No. 1,562,440, granted November 24, 1925. The

mechanism within the gear housing 15 is driven through a vertical shaft 16 which extends through the bottom ofthe housing 15 and has a driving pulley 17 fixed to its lower end beneath the housing 15. An elec-. tric motor 18 is attached to a suitable bracket 19 which is fixed tov the frame work and is arranged with its shaft 20 in a vertical position. The motor shaft 20 has a pulley 21 fixed thereto beneath the motor and in horizontal alignment with the pulley 14 of the extractor shaft 13 and apulley 22 fixed to its upper end above the motor and in horizontal alignment with the pulley 17 at the lower end of the gear drivlng shaft 16. A driving belt 23 passes around the pulleys 17 and "22 fordriving the reversing gears which operate the cylinder 6 and a I driving belt 24 passes around the pulleys from the motor 18. guitable means is provided m. the driving connections between the motor and the extractor shaft and between the motor and reversingv gear for connectmg the motor to or disconnectingthe motor from the reversing gear and the extractor shaft, the driving connection between the motor and the extractor shaft being controlled by means of a lever 25, and the drivingconnection between the motor and the reversing gear being controlled by a lever 26.

on 21 and 14 for drivin the-extractor basket I from the motor to the extractor shaft and from the motor to the reversing gear are completely enclosed within a U shaped shield 29 which has its free edges secured to suitga ed by suitable nuts 31.

b0 ts 30 are adjacent the lower ed e of the shield which rests upon the base of t e frame and the securing nuts 31 are readil accessible beneath the tub 5. The'shiel 29 extends from the base of the machine which is carried on the lower rails 3 to adjacent. the underside of the curb 7 and cooperates -with the curb and the vertical end wall of the tub 5 to enclose the motor 18 and the driving connections at the opposite ends thereof and also the vertical extractor shaft 13. The shield 29 lies to the inner side of the controlling lever 25, which controls'the connection between the motor and the extractor shaft, and is slotted to permit actuation of the controlling lever 26 which controls the connection between the motor and the reversing gear.

It will be seen that by reason of the vertical arrangement of the motor 18, the extractor mechanism and washer mechanism can be brought very close together and that by reason of the arrangement of the driving motor and the driving connections it is a very simple matter to assemble the machine or to disassemble the same. The shield 29 since it completely encloses the operating mechanism makes it impossible for the operator'to be injured by contact of hands or clothing with the rotating parts of the operating mechanism.

It should further be noted that all of the driving mechanism for the washer and extractor and the controlling levers therefore are entirely within the confines of the frame so that there are no projecting parts liable to be brushed against by the operator, the moving parts of the drive mechanism being all enclosed by the'shield 29 which is offset inwardly from the side and end of the frame and the controlling levers 25 and 26 lying within the outer side of the framework. A

\ further advantage of this construction is vices for preventing access to the extractor while the same is being driven andsfor preventing actuation of the motor when the extractor lid is open and the extractor connected thereto. The upper end of the lever 25 engages with a pivoted lever and latch member 32 mounted on the upper side rail 2, the lever 32 serving to control the locking of the lid 10 by its latch 33 through a movable member mounted in-a casing 34 carried by the top of the curb. The lever 32 also has an extension 35 which in certain positions of the lever 25 i s'ada ted to cover push buttons 36 or 37 carrie by the switch casing 38, the starting and stopping of the motor being controlled by the push buttons 36 and 37. Safet devices above referred to form no part 0 the resent invention, these devices being disc osed and claimed in my 00- pending application Serial No. 633,974, filed of even date herewith.

Having described my invention, I claim: 1. In a motor driven centrifugal extractor of the household laundry type, a supporting frame having a curb mounted therein at the top of the frame, a drip catching member extending the full width of the frame at one side of the curb, a motor and driving mechanism connecting the motor to the extractor mounted beneath the curb and drip catching 'member, and a housing for the motor an driving mechanism of the extractor extending beneath said drip catching member and curb, said housing bein inset from the side of the frame to provi e a space beneath the drip catching member and within the side of the frame permitting manually operable controlling parts to bemounted in said space and wholly within the confines of the frame.

2. Ina motor driven centrifugal extractor of the household laundry type, a frame work having corner posts and top 'and bottom and side rails, a curb mounted in the frame between the top side rails and spaced from one end of the frame, a drip catching member extending the full width of the frame at the top thereof at one side of the curb, a vertical wall beneath the end of the drip catching member and spaced from the curb, a housing for the motor and driving mechanism of the extractor mounted within the frame beneath the drip catching member and the curb, said housing being formed in part 'by the bottom of the curb and includin a removable enclosing wall forming two si es and an end of the housing and having its ends contiguous to said vertical wall, an upper edge portion of the enclosing wall being contiguousto the bottom of the curb, said wall being inset from a side of the frame to provide a space beneath the drip catchin member and within the side of the frame lll'WhlCh the manually operable controlling parts may be so mounted as to lie wholly within the confines of the frame.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature.

ARTHUR R. CURTIS. 

